Automatic hose and fabric cutting attachment for knitting-machines.



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AUTOIATIG HUSE AND FABBIO CUTTING ATTACHMENT POR INITTIHG IAOHINES.

` v ArPLIcA'rxox rILnn JULY 22,491:l

,056,589.' Patented Mar. 18,1913.

"1. RYAN. AUTOMATIC HDSELAND BARRIO CUTTING ATTACHMENT FOR KNITTINGQMAIGHINES.,

APPIIIQ'VI'ION FILED JULY 22, 1912. b

21,056,589, L PatentedMar.18,191`3.

` Arrow/fwl lltll cierran serres ie THOMAS RYAN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC HOSE AND FABRIC CUTTING ATTACHMENT FOR KN'IT'IING-lVIACI'IlITESl Losetas.

spcification of Letters Patent.

i Patented Mar; 18, 1913.

Application filed July 22. 1912. Serial No. 710,879.

To al? yzii/mm if may conce/nf Be it known that lf, Tiiouas RYAN, a citi zen of the United, States, and a resident ot Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and Strate of Pennsylvania, have invented an Aiitoanatiey Hose and Fabric Cutting At: tachment for Knitting-Machines, of which the following isa specification.

My attachment; comprises cutting mechanism, preferably in the form et scissors or shears, which is autoiiiatically operated to sever rib hose or) other fabric as produced by a knitting-machine, thus dividing the product in-to desired lengths or sections. IThe attachment is applied and supported in pendent position on one side of the frame of the limit-tingr machine. The automatic and intermittenti operation of thecutting mechanism is preferably effected by the hose or fabric itself as fed or pulled down from'the 4 needles, the saine acting onv a toothed wheel whose shaft cooperates direct-ly with the au tomatic devices tor alternately settingrand tripping the cutting mechanism proper.

In the accompanying drawings I show o-ne form of the embodimentotf my invention. l

Figure 1 is a side view showing my invention applied toa knitting machine. Fig. 2 is another side view. taken at right angles to that shown in Fig. 1'. Figf is a vertical Section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on the line @-4 of Fig.4

1. Fig. 5 is a horizontal `section on the line 5-5 of Fie'. 1 the saine being taken pist above the scissors or shears; Fig. 6 1s a perspective, view illustrating; the cuttingV mechanism set in positi'on'to operate. Fig. 7 is a detail section showing the cutters or scissors vblades attached to a vertical support. i f

ln Figs. `1 and 2, thenuineral 1 indi 'fates the box ot a knitting machine'containing a rollers 2 are-operated'in' opposite directions.

so as to feed the hose or talilric :c downward and they are operated through gear-and bett-connections (l and 7 with the driving shaft of the knitting-machine. Y

Asl shown in Figs. l, 5, 6 and 7,*tiie shorter scissors blade 4 is fixed and the longer scisshank of the movable blade ."i.

`enter the fabric zc.

sors blade 5 is p'ivoted on a vertical post 8. A helical retracting spi-ing 9 is attached at its respectiveends to the moi-able scissors blade 5 and a short rod 10 forming a fixed attachment of the post 8. Said spring thus acts through its normal contraction to close the-scissors-blades when the movable on'e is left free. The movable bladel is opened. by mechanism which will be presently described. and it is locked or held normally, but detaehably, in the. open position by means ot"- a latch, which is best illustrated in Fig. (i.

Said latch is a bai.' 11 arranged practically horizontally7 and pivoted on a'tixed support. A helical spring 12-see'Fig.. Q-bears on oneend of the latch 11 and serves to hold its shoulder 11.a normally engaged with the The latter has on its under side an elongated metal loop 13 which serves to prevent the latch trombeing thrown too far when tripped by means of the rod 14-see Figs. 1 and 2; This rod is arranged in vertical` guides and encircled by a helical spring 15 which serves to retract it 4after depression which is effected through come in contact with the rounded upper end of the trip rod 1.4 and thus depress the saine siitiiciently to bear down the end of the latch 1,1 onfwliieh it rests, thus releasing the scis sors blade and allowingY the springr 9 to close the bladeswith sutilcient torceto sever the fabric a'. 5 i

. The roller 1G projects laterally from a plateA l-see Fig. Q-which is provided with an arc slot and secured to the body of the wheel 17 by means of a bolt which per ymits adjustment of the rolleror cam as conditions may require.' rlhe pattern wheel '17 is the outer one ot three wheels which are mounted on a horizontal shaft 18, and said' l wheel is carried around by friction, with the Iiiiddle onelt) which,as shown in Figfl, is

constructed as a gear and meshes with a' pin- A ion Q() keyed on ay horizontal, shaft 21' on l wliosejiiiiiei. end is mounted a lwheel 2Q havcontact with the trip rod 1l. extra power is required to cause the roller to override and depress said rod which is required Jfor automaticallv' releasing'. the latch l1 from the shank ot' the movable scissors blade 5. lo aid in rotation ot' the pattern wheel at this time. l employ a hook pawl 2P which is pivoted to a horizontal reciprocating bar 24- see Figs. Q and l. Said bar is reciprocatcd b v means of a pivoted spring lever 2.3 whose angular end carries a roller 2G that works in contact with a caln 2T.

The hook Q3 is adapted to engage an eX- tra tooth QS which is attached to the periphery of the pattern wheel 17. ltis obvious that this tooth QS must be arranged practi cally diametrically opposite the roller or cam 16. rlhe point or tooth projects beyond the ordinary ratchet teeth of the pattern wheel 17, and it. will be noted that on the right side of such tooth 28, the pattern wheel is provided with plates 2t) whose edges project beyond the teeth of the wheel and thus hold the pawl ot' the pattern wheel ont. of operation when desired.

The pattern wheel and the two others with which it is operatively connected constitute what` is called a clock 'lhe purpose of lthe whole clock arraneement is to )rovide for making a welt and slack course in the hose or fabric andthe length ot' the rib top or stocking legs depends on how many teeth in the ratchet wheel are covered b'v idlers. That is to sa'v, it' it be desired to make them longer, an eXtra idler is put on which holds the clock back until a longer t'abric has heen knit. 'One revolution of the clock provides for one welt and slack course. Then the pattern wheel 17 is operated by the pawl, every revolution of the knitting machine carries the wheel forward one tooth. and if there wereno idlers on the wheel, a succession of welts and slack course would be made; but when t-he pawl or hook is thrown out of action hy the idlers,the machine keeps on knittinpr the legir or top of the stockingr until the idlers have passed under the pawl and the latter then engages the teeth and starts the welt and slack course mechanism which completes its work by the time the pattern wheel has been rotated around to the point. where the idlers put the pawl out of action. 'Ihe machine then goes on knittinglr another piece of fabric or stockinrgY leg by which time the idlers have passed under the pawh whereupon the operation is repcated.

ratchet wheel it() is arranged on the lel't otl the pattern wheel 17 and is provided with 'a lateral cam 3l which is adapted to como in contact at. each revolution otl said wheel with the. .shorter arm of a long lever 32 pivoted at 32% on a bracketI 3l 'forming a fixed attachment. of the. knitting machine trauic. To the lower end ot' such lever is pivoteda hook pawl 35 whose tree end is adapted to engage the shank ot' the movable s .'issors blade 5.

contractile spring 3G is applied to the lever 32 and hook 35 in such manner as to hold the free end ot the hook raised or in such position as to normally engage the shank of the scissors blade 5. A retracted spring 37 is applied to the lower and longer arm of the lever 32, thus tendingA normally to hold it in the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. Q. liet it be supposed now that the latch 11 has been tripped by the rod 14 and the movable scissors blade 5 thereby released so that through the@4 contraction of thel springA t) attached to said blade. the scissors have been closed and thus caused to sever a length ot the hose or t'ahric a'. At this time the cam 3 1v on the ratchet', wheel 30 comes in contact with the lever l2 which is then in theposition indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. As the wheel lo continues to rotate, the cam presses thc lever back until it comes to the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. in which operation its hook 35 bein;r engaged with the shank ot the movable blade 5$ pulls the latter intoy the position indicated in Fig'. 6. where it automatically locks with the shoulder 11.n of the pivoted latch ll. So soon as this resetting of the scissors blade 5 has occurred. the cam 3l passes onty ot contact with the lever S32 and the latter is then left tree to swing back to the-normal position imlicatcd b v dotted lines in ltig. 2, whicht as before. intimated, is effected through the contraction ot the spiral spring RT. lt. will thus be understood that at each'rotation of the ratchet wheel 30. the cam acts once on the lever 32 to retract and set the movable blade ot the scissors. this being etl'ected by drawing such blade into the position indicated in Fig. (i. where its shank engages the shoulder 11 ot the latch 11. 'lo sum up the matuter. at cach rotation ofthe pattern wheel 1i', there is a corresponding rotation of the ratchet wheel 30 and the operations of trippingr the latchll to release the scissors and the re-setting of the latter are effected in quick succession.

A\ lockingr pawl 38-see Fig. l-g--is pivoted to the' trame ot' the knittingmachine and its tree end rides on the teeth oli the ratchet. push pawl :ttt is also pivoted to the reciprocating' bar il and serves to rotate the rah-het wheel :to by intermittent engagement with its respective teeth. lt, will be noted, however.. that at one. point in its periphery, the ratchet wheel it() is mutilated or unprovided with teeth of the usual length, and thc upper end of the long" lever is pmvided with a cam l0 which acts against pin projectingr laterally from the push pawl BSL .so that when the lever is in tbc 'iosition indicated b v lull lines, the paw; is held' out of contact with Locas# Consequently after the cam -31 has pushed means for tripping the the lever 32 back into vertical position and thus re-set the scissors, the pavvl 39 keeps on actuating the ratchet Wheel and racking Vit around, until rendered inoperative by the cut-down portion of said Wheel 30, when the cam 31 is .in the correct position for the next operation.

What I claim is:`

l. ln a cutting attachment for a knitting machine, the combination with scissor-like cutting mechanism which includes a pivoted blade and a fixed blade arranged together horizontally' a spring for retracting the Eivoted bla e, mechanism for setting such lade and locking it in the open position, and locking mechanism, as deser-ibed.-

2. In an attachment for the purpose specified, the combination with means for drawing a fabric, of a rotatable Wheel having a peripheral cam, cutting mechanism arranged horizontally below the cam Wheel and consisting of scissor-blades, one of Which is pivoted, a retractiug s ring connected with such blade, la pivoted atch for holding the pivoted blade in the open position, and a vertical trip rod adapted to act on the latch and release the same from the movable blade when acted o n bythe aforesaid cam wheel, as describd.

3. in an attachmentfor lied, the combination of a Wheel provided witha cam anda prole'cting tooth arranged on the opposite side, -a reciprocatinghook pawl kadapted to engage such the purpose speciso-called pattern' tooth, a trip rod upon which the cam is adapted to operate, a pivoted latch actuated by the trip rod, cutting mechanism including a pivoted blade vwith which such latch engages, and means for automatically resetting the movable blade after the same has been released by the latch as described.

4.- An attachment. for the lied, comprisingr a rotatable Wl having a` cam, -a Spring retracted trip rod upon which the'cam is adapted to actuate, a pivoted latch actuated by the trip rod, a cutter with which purpose specithe latch is adatpted to engage for holding it.'

normally out `o cally resetting the movable blade, the same comprising 'a pivoted lever having a hook for engaging the shank ofthe blade, a spring normally reti-acting said lever, a Wheel provided with a` cam upper arm of the lever for draw the movable blade back into t. e notL mal or set position, and means for antomatically rot-ating the cam- Wheel,"as described.

Witnesses:

IDA W. HALL, WM. M. FRANCE.,

action, means for automatirazor/ias eran.

adapted to ac t ou the i causm '1t lo f 

